


The Escape

by RosaPeach



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hogwarts Mystery
Genre: Death Eaters, F/M, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Purebloods (Harry Potter), Video Game: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-06 04:16:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17932661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosaPeach/pseuds/RosaPeach
Summary: It had been over four years since you have last seen your friends. You and Jacob have been stuck in your parental home ever since your graduation. Whatever you wanted to do in your life after Hogwarts didn’t matter anymore, your parents made sure of that. They would do anything to protect the blood purity of the family, even if they needed to isolate their own children. You always hoped you could escape one day, getting away from the nightmare you were living in. Apparently, a party during the holidays could be a good opportunity to get away according to Jacob.





	The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on my Tumblr page for HPHM Fictober (25/10/18)  
> Prompt: Christmas Tree Decorating (HPHM fictober prompt) and Nightmare (Halloween HPHM fictober prompt)

“Let the House Elves do it, _Y/N_.”

You frowned slightly when your mother once again told you to let the House Elves decorate the Christmas tree in the house. You kind of hoped if you decorated the tree yourself, the house would at least look a little brighter. However, you knew your mother wouldn't let you decorate it. You sighed softly and took a step back.

“You should spend more time prepping yourself up for the guests that are coming over.” Your mom said, looking into your eyes. “It’s important you will behave, you understand?”

You nodded slightly, not saying a single word.

“Good. Now, be a good girl and go upstairs. Your father and I will tell you and Jacob to come downstairs when you are needed.”

You once again nodded and made your way upstairs. You glanced at the tree for a second, noticing the House Elves were already decorating the tree in the style your mother wanted it to be.

You were certain your parents tried to make your life a living hell on purpose. You were missing your time at Hogwarts. You missed all the friends you made and especially the freedom you had there. After you graduated and found Jacob, your parents made sure both you and Jacob were isolated from everyone you once associated with.

 

You remembered spending Christmas at Hogwarts a few years. You were allowed to decorate the Great Hall for Dumbledore with the other students. You remembered how much fun you had when you were decorating a Christmas tree with Rowan and few other friends of yours who stayed behind during Christmas. Those years were a lot more fun than the ones you have had the past few years.

You remembered you had the most fun time when you celebrated Christmas with the Weasleys. Your parents didn’t know about you spending Christmas with the Weasleys. If they had known about it, they would probably have taken you home straightaway. They would point out the Weasleys were bellow your family and you should not associate with such a family. You have never listened during your Hogwarts years, because they weren’t there to ‘ _correct_ ’ you, but things had changed. You couldn’t do anything against your parents now.

Everything you have ever cared about didn’t matter anymore. You were forced to do whatever your parents wanted you to do. You only had Jacob, but that wasn’t really enough to make you feel happy…

 

You passed Jacob’s room, seeing he was sitting on the bed with an empty expression on his face. Jacob always was a bit reserved due to the way he was raised, but he rarely spoke nowadays. He had opened up a lot more when he attended Hogwarts, you could tell that was the case when you were still too young to attend Hogwarts. Now, he was just down all the times, pretending to be the perfect son for his parents’ sake. He wasn’t allowed to leave the house at all, he didn’t have a job and he just felt miserable.

You weren’t doing much better either, you knew that. However, you tried not to lose any hope. It was hard and you could tell you were slowly becoming more and more down like Jacob, but you kept trying. Just like Jacob, you opened up a lot more during your time at Hogwarts. The search for your brother and the Cursed Vaults helped you with making friends. Just like you made some enemies. Still, it was a much better life than the one you were living now. The manor was your prison. Everything looked perfect, but it was all just cold and empty.

 

“You weren’t allowed to decorate the tree, were you?” Jacob suddenly asked.

You blinked, slowly walking back to enter his room. “No, I was not allowed to decorate it.”

“Mother never wanted us to do those kinds of things.” He mumbled. “Not even when we were kids. We just needed to be quiet and behave.”

“If we were lucky, we would get a present.” You said, rolling your eyes slightly when you thought about it.

“… You still haven’t lost hope, have you?”

“It’s the only thing I have left, Jacob.”

“And what could you do with it? Things are only going to get worse. You-Know-Who is back and our parents are definitely going to turn us into one of his followers.” He muttered.

You bit your lip slightly. You knew he was right. You-Know-Who was back and your parents were definitely planning for you two to become Death Eaters. The look on their faces when they heard the news about their Dark Lord... It made you sick.

“You should probably go. Father and mother are going to get angry if you are not looking anything but _perfect_ …”

 

You frowned slightly, slowly leaving his room again. You needed to make yourself ready for the guests that would come anytime soon. You noticed a dress and a pair of heels were already laid out for you in your room, knowing your mother requested the House Elves to it for you.

“Ah, young mistress. Older mistress told Holly she wanted young mistress to wear these earrings and the necklace Holly has placed nearby the dress.” The House Elf spoke softly, trembling a little.

You gave the House Elf a small smile. “Thank you, Holly.”

“You are welcome, young mistress. Holly is happy to help.” The House Elf said before she quickly left the room.

You and Jacob were probably the only ones who treated the House Elves all right in the house. Your mother wasn’t really too harsh on them, but she clearly didn’t respect them either. Your father treated them really like vermin if they didn’t do their jobs well.

You sighed softly when you looked at the outfit your mother had picked out for you. You already dreaded wearing it. You wondered how much you would resemble a doll when you wear it and have your hair and make-up done.

 

It wasn’t like you could say no to it. Saying no would have terrible consequences. You tried saying no once and you ended up being in a lot more pain than you would like. If people knew what was going on in this house, they would probably think everyone your family is crazy. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to know what was going on in here. Nothing would get better either if the You-Know-Who really returned. What if you would face him? What if you actually have to become a Death Eater? Would you have to face your friends during a time of war? What if you were ordered to kill one of them?

You shook your head a little, not wanting to think about it. You would prefer someone to just end you with _Avada Kadavra_ than facing your friends in the war. You had never chosen to join the dark side, but you were pulled into it. Your parents kept your wand from you and only gave it to you when it was necessary. That was the moment you began trying to use wandless magic, hoping you could escape this living hell one day. So far, you weren’t able to do anything about your situation now.

 

* * *

 

 

You and Jacob were absolutely miserable during the party your parents had organised. Most people who attended the party were rich and from influential families. You also knew those families did have ties with You-Know-Who. You could hear a lot of conversations were about their Dark Lord’s return and how happy they seemed to be. You felt sick when you saw them smiling and acting like it was one of the best things in the world. You didn’t give a damn about the blood purity thing, but it wasn’t like your opinion would matter. Well, it would make a lot of people angry here... Your father would definitely punish you if he heard you saying something like that, making sure you would never say such a thing again. You just had to keep your thoughts to yourself.

You glanced at Jacob, seeing a glint of anger in his eyes. You were surprised he was even showing a hint of emotion. Of course, he still looked pretty calm on the outside, but you could tell his eyes had more emotion in them than he had shown in a quite a while. You gently took his hand and squeezed it lightly, not looking at him. You just wanted to give him a sign he wasn’t alone and you felt the same way. Once you let go of his hand again, you slowly looked up at him. He looked back at you and nodded slightly.

 

Your mom made her way over to you and Jacob. She took your hand and led you away from Jacob. “You can’t just stand there with Jacob, dear. The young men won’t approach you that way.” She told you seriously. “There are definitely some men that want to meet a young lady like you.”

You had to suppress a grimace. Like you actually wanted to do anything with them.

“You are twenty-two years old, don’t you think it would be a good thing if you could marry one of these young men here?”

You looked up at your mother. “Who do you have in mind, mother?” You knew she definitely would have some people in mind for you. It was probably a way to make the family more powerful if you married one of the young men in the house.

Your mother began pointing a bit at certain families, telling you how good that would be for both families. “Do you understand it, dear? It is important you will marry someone worthy. Also think about it as a way to live your life in luxury.”

You glanced at the young men your mother brought you over to. You really didn’t want to do anything with them…

 

You could tell they were eyeing you, like they were making sure you were good enough for them. You wouldn’t be surprised if they only did that because they knew you were the one who broke the curses of the Cursed Vaults back during your Hogwarts days.

“We can be certain she is a powerful witch. Good qualities for a future heir…” She could hear one of them mumble to another young man.

You really didn’t want to be here. You glanced back at Jacob, who was being set up with some ladies. Your mother was definitely trying hard for you and Jacob to choose someone. You also glanced at your father, noticing he was looking at you as well. He had this serious expression on his face, like he was telling you not to screw this up.

You took a deep breath and tried to bear with everything. You tried to answer some on the men’s questions, trying to be as polite as possible. However, you thought it was hard to actually keep this act up. None of these men made you feel interested in the slightest. You could tell they were just eyeing like a piece of meat. You hoped you were allowed to go back to Jacob soon.

 

“Excuse me, can I borrow my sister from you gentlemen?”

You looked behind you and noticed Jacob made his way over to you.

“Of course, Jacob _Y/L/N_.” One of them said, allowing Jacob to take you away from them.

Jacob gently took your arm and began leading you away to the hallway, looking quite serious.

The hallway was pretty much empty at this moment. Everyone was probably in the main room, probably not noticing you were not there anymore.

“I have got a plan…” He whispered into your ear.

You blinked, wondering what he meant with that.

“All I am asking you is to trust me, okay?” He told you seriously.

“Of course, I trust you.” You said seriously.

“Good.” He said when he led you to the front door. He began looking back and forth before he slowly opened the door.

“What are you-”

“No questions, _Y/N_.” He said when he pulled you along with him outside. He slowly closed the door behind you before he looked at you. “Take off those heels. We have to run for a little while.”

Did Jacob plan to escape with you? You weren’t going to question him. You took your heels off and then you looked at him.

 

Jacob began running with you towards the forest nearby your house. The forest was known to be pretty dangerous, so no one dared to enter it without knowing anything about the creatures that lived there. Of course, you and Jacob have been going in there a couple of times when you were kids, having your own hideout there. It wasn’t until your parents forbade you two for going in there after a couple of years.

Obviously, these rules didn’t matter at this point. Jacob had planned to escape and going into the forest was probably the best way to escape. Running away from the manor made you feel more alive than you had been feeling for years. Your heart was racing and you were feeling all kinds of things. You would still be as quiet as possible. If you would cry or anything, then you might risk people hearing you. You had dreamt about being able to escape for years now. You had never expected Jacob to be the one who initiated the escape. He barely showed anything when you were stuck in the manor. He was really good at hiding things from people if he still had hope he could get away from your parental home.

 

Once you two were both in the forest, Jacob began looking around. He wanted to make sure no one followed you. “It seems like we haven’t been followed by anyone.” He said softly. “Still, we should be quiet just to be sure.”

You nodded slightly. “What is next, Jacob?” You asked softly.

He smiled lightly and then he pulled something out of a pocket inside his jacket.

Your eyes widened. “You got my wand.”

“And my own.” He said with a small nod. “You have learnt how to apparate, haven't you?”

You nodded. “Yeah, during my last year.”

“Good, because we can apparate from here.” He said seriously. “If we were too close to the house, we might not have been able to do that. I wouldn’t be surprise if our parents protected the manor with a warding spell.”

“Where should we go?”

“London.” He suggested. “I’m pretty sure some of your friends will be somewhere in London. However, we should be going separately. It would be less risky if we aren’t seen together.”

Your eyes widened again. “You mean we should split up in London until it is safe for us to be seen together?”

“People will become suspicious if they see the Cursed Vaults siblings wandering around the Wizarding part of London. No, it will be safer if we aren’t seen together. I have some old friends that owe me a favour, so I will be going there. You try to find your friends, all right?”

 

You knew he was right. It probably wouldn’t be safe if you two were seen together. It might increase the chance of being taken back to your parents’ house. You would need to go alone and find a way to keep hidden from your parents and everyone who was involved with You-Know-Who.

You slowly took your wand from Jacob and looked into his eyes. “I guess this is goodbye.” You said softly.

“We will see each other again. I’m sure of it.” Jacob said with a small smile. “Let’s get out of here, all right?” He took his own wand and seemed to be ready to leave.

You nodded and gave him a small back. “Yeah, we should go before they find us here.” You said before you apparated away.

 

You ended up in London, somewhere in a dark alley. You put your wand away again and slowly walked out of the alley. You weren’t really sure where to go at this point. It was dark and cold, you weren’t wearing any shoes either. You probably looked like a mess, but you couldn’t care less. You just began wandering around the streets, wondering if you should just make your way to Diagon Alley. That would probably increase the chances of finding your friends, but perhaps it would also increase the chances of being seen by someone who was associated with your parents or You-Know-Who.

You really had no idea what you should do. You were away from your parents which already was a big thing. Now, you just needed some time to think about your next steps. Jacob probably had a clear idea of what to do, but you had no clue where your friends could be. Perhaps you could go somewhere else in England to find the Weasleys or perhaps make your way to the Khanna’s tree farm. Even though London was definitely a place where some of your friends would be, but since you lost contact with them, you didn’t know where they were exactly. That’s what happens when you are isolated from the world.

 

“ _Y/N_?”

You froze for a moment when you heard someone say your name. You slowly turned towards the source of the voice. “Tonks?”

She didn’t change that much, she still had pink hair you could recognize from quite a distance. She slowly made her way over to you, looking surprised. “It really is you.”

You actually managed to find one of your friends. You felt like you could barely speak at this point. You almost wanted to cry because you finally saw someone familiar again.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, looking concerned. “Merlin, what are you wearing?” She noticed what you were wearing.

“I escaped…” You said softly.  “I finally got away…”

“You escaped? What are you talking about?” She asked. “Where have you been all this time?”

You wanted to answer her, but your vision got blurry. Maybe this was too much for the day. You have been feeling so much more than you did in the past few years.

“Hey, are you okay, _Y/N_?” Tonks asked.

You could tell you were about to pass out. You just collapsed on the ground.

“Merlin! Hold on, _Y/N_! I will get you some help!” You heard Tonks said before you fell unconscious.

 

* * *

 

When you opened your eyes, you noticed you were in a room you didn’t recognize. That was good, knowing you didn’t dream you escaped your parents’ house with Jacob. You slowly sat up, wondering if you could figure out where you were.

You noticed there were some clothes left on the bed with a note.

 

> Hey _Y/N_ ,
> 
> I fetched you some clothes and shoes you might be more comfortable in. It's probably a lot better than wearing that dress and walking barefooted.
> 
> ~Tonks

So, you also didn’t dream about seeing Tonks when you got in London. You sighed in relief, knowing you actually found one of your friends. You looked at the clothes, thinking they would indeed be a lot more comfortable than the dress you were wearing now. You took off the dress and changed in the clothes Tonks had got for you. It felt like forever since you wore anything causal. No matter what day is it was, your mother made sure you would look good. The only comfortable clothing you had at your parental home were your nightgowns. It definitely felt good to wear something causal like this.

 

You looked at yourself in the mirror, noticing your make-up from last night was already removed from your face. The only thing that was messy at this point was your hair. You grabbed your wand and fixed it. You just let your hair down, feeling glad you didn’t need to do anything too fancy with your hair today.

You took a deep breath and walked over to door, wanting to find out where you were at the moment. You opened the door, noticing a stairway. You didn’t hear a lot of sound at the moment. You thought you should probably make your way downstairs, hoping to find some people there. Once you got to the first floor, you noticed two redheads were standing on the ground floor. Were those two redheads who you think you were?

“Look George, it seems like Hogwarts’ Curse-Breaker finally woke up.” Fred said with a grin.

“It’s seems like it, Fred.” George said with a grin of his own.

So, you were right. They actually were the Weasley twins. Why were they here? Shouldn’t they be celebrating Christmas at the Burrow?

“She looks confused…” Fred whispered to George, who just nodded.

 

“What is going on in here?” You heard another familiar voice say.

“Nothing mom, _Y/N_ just woke up that’s all.” Fred said.

Molly Weasley. You definitely didn’t forget about her. Bill and Charlie had asked you to come over during the Christmas Break a few times when your parents didn’t want you home. It definitely felt like forever since you have last seen her.

She walked over to you and pulled you into a tight hug. “It’s good to see you again, dear.” She said before she let you go. “You gave us quite a scare when Tonks found you.”

“It’s good to see you as well, Mrs. Weasley.” You said softly. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“Nonsense dear, we are just glad to finally see you again.” She said with a small smile. “Also, you know you can call me Molly.”

That’s right, you didn’t have to call her Mrs. Weasley. Although, after spending more than four years under your parents’ control, you were used to call people Mr. and Mrs., because it was more polite.

 

“You probably have a lot of questions right now. Why don’t I and some others fill you in about what is going on.” Molly suggested.

“That would be great.” You said honestly.

“Some people might have questions for you as well.” She warned you. “Nobody heard a thing about you and your brother since you graduated from Hogwarts.”

“It is quite a long story.” You said softly, sighing softly.

Molly led you into the main room and you could see some familiar and unfamiliar faces.

You nearly fell down when Tonks tackled you into a hug. “Don’t scare me like that again, _Y/N_.”

You hugged Tonks back, smiling lightly. “I’m sorry, Tonks.”

“Seriously, first you show up out of nowhere and then you just collapse. That’s worse than any pranks I have ever pulled on you.” She mumbled, giving you a small grin.

“If I could have notified you, I would have done that.” You mumbled softly.

“Come on, let me explain what is going on here. Of course, with the help of some others here.” She said, pointing to all the other people in the room.

 

You were informed you were in 12 Grimmauld Place and what this place meant for the people here. They couldn’t tell you more until you told them how you got here and where you have been all these years.

“Let me get this straight. You and Jacob have been forced to stay at your parents’ place. They took away your wands and tried to shape you into the children they wanted you two to be.” Tonks said, frowning.

“Basically. You know my family does have ties with You-Know-Who. You can probably guess what side they were on.” You mumbled.

“May I ask, why weren’t you with Jacob when you came to London?” Molly asked.

“He said it would be safer if we weren’t together.” You said seriously. “People might recognise us when we are seen together and then our parents might find us again.”

“Do you know where Jacob is?” Tonks asked.

“He said he was going to some old friends of his.” You said. “I have no idea where that might be. Probably somewhere in London as well.”

“Excuse me if this brings up some bad memories, but could you tell us about what families are involved with You-Know-Who?” Remus asked.

“I can tell you all about that if you want.” You said honestly. “It’s the least thing I can do.”

 

* * *

 

“It’s nice you can join us for Christmas  _Y/N_.” Tonks said with a smile.

“I’m glad I could join you all for Christmas. It has been a while since I have last had a nice Christmas.” You said honestly.

“It must have been horrible.” Tonks said, frowning a little. “I mean, you and Jacob must have felt horrible the past few years.”

“We just didn’t feel much after a while. Well, we just tried to not to feel anything.” You said with a shrug. “It wouldn’t hurt us too much that way, you know?”

“I’m not sure if I want to know how that feels.” Tonks said honestly. “It sounds like a nightmare to me.”

“Let’s not talk about it then. I don’t want to ruin the Christmas spirit.” You said with a small smile.

“Don’t worry about it.” She said with a shrug. “Let’s just have some fun, like the old times.”

“That sounds good.” You said with a small grin.

“Oh, there is someone who will probably be really surprised to see you here.” Tonks smirked.

“Who are you talking about?” You raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll see.” She said with a wink. 

“Now you made me curious, Tonks.” You laughed softly.

“Good.” She said amused. “I’m still not going to tell you.”

 

You shook your head slightly and sighed. Whoever it was, you probably would be glad to see that person again. So far, you only saw Tonks, most of the Weasleys, Dumbledore and Snape. At least, those were the people you already knew. You were introduced to Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.

You wondered who wanted to see you again. Maybe it was Rowan? You really had no clue who wanted to see you at this point. In your mind it could be anyone. You really wouldn’t mind seeing more of your old friends. It would be nice to finally see them again after years of being locked up in your parental house.

You heard some noise from the entrance. You could tell some people arrived.

“It seems like that someone has come over here now.” Tonks said with a smirk. “Aren’t you excited?”

“I have no clue who it is though. I mean, I think you mean one of our old friends, but I have no clue who you are talking about.” You said honestly.

“You don’t have to wait much longer, _Y/N_.” She winked at you.

 

“What, _Y/N_ is here…?” You heard a familiar voice say.

“Yes dear, she is here.” Molly said. “She is probably in the living room with Tonks.”

You really wanted to find out who was there and it didn’t help when Tonks was just chuckling beside you.

Once the door opened, you immediately looked towards direction of the door, feeling slightly nervous.

“It's good to see you again, Bill.” Tonks said with a grin when the oldest of the Weasley siblings had entered the room.

“It’s good to see you as well, Tonks.” Bill said with a smile before his eyes met yours. “ _Y/N_.”

“Hi Bill.” You greeted, feeling slightly more nervous than you already were.

He made his way over to you and pulled you into a tight hug.

You slowly hugged him back. It was really good to see him again after all those years.

He slowly pulled away, still standing pretty close to you. “It’s really good to see you again.” He said with a smile.

“It’s good to see you again as well.” You said honestly. “I thought you were still in Egypt.”

“I transferred to Gringotts here, so I can help the Order.” He told you. “When did you get here?”

 

“A few days ago.” Tonks answered for you, wondering if you wanted to tell your story all over again. “I found her on the streets.”

Bill raised an eyebrow when he looked at Tonks. “On the streets?” He glanced back at you.

“It’s a long story.” You mumbled, biting your lip slightly. “Maybe I should tell you later. I don’t want to ruin Christmas.”

“We can talk.” He said, taking your hand in his.

You glanced at Tonks for a moment. She only shrugged, not sure what you should do. “Are you sure you want to hear about it now?” You asked. You knew the Weasleys already did have their worries after Arthur was attacked in the Ministry. You knew Christmas was supposed to lighten the mood up.

“I want to hear about it.” He said, sounding determined.

You sighed softly. “Very well.” You said, frowning slightly.

“Let’s talk somewhere more private, all right?” He suggested, leading you away from the living room.

 

* * *

 

Things were quiet between you two when you once again told how you got here. You knew your story probably sounded insane to others. You knew it was a wonder you didn’t go completely insane back your parents' house. Although, you were pretty sure that it affected you more than you thought. You wouldn’t be surprised you completely changed according to your old friends.

“Merlin…” Bill muttered. “If we had known-”

“How could any of you know what was going on? Jacob and I were isolated from the world and I’m pretty sure if any of you asked about me, nobody would tell or know anything about my whereabouts.” You said honestly. “There was nothing that could have been done to help Jacob and I to get out of there.”

“We could have expected something, _Y/N_. You always told us about what your parents were like.” He said honestly, frowning a little.

“Even if you did go to my parents, they would definitely try to hide Jacob and I somewhere.” You said. “Besides, they probably wouldn’t have spoken to anyone in our group. Maybe to Barnaby and Merula because of their blood status, but I’m pretty sure no one would have found out about Jacob and I.”

 

Once again silence filled the room for a minute or so. Maybe you both didn’t know what to say about it anymore. It wasn’t like someone could have known about your and Jacob’s situation. Not when you were isolated from the world. Nobody knew about your whereabouts, because none of your friends visited your parental home before.

“So… What are you going to do next?” Bill asked.

“I think I should probably help the Order.” You said honestly.

“Are sure that’s such a good idea? You said your parents took your wand away from you for years, do you still know how to duel?”

You grinned lightly. “A wand doesn’t make someone a witch or wizard, you know?”

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Does that mean you…”

“I practiced some wandless magic. Of course, that wasn’t enough to escape on my own.” You said with a shrug. “Still, I tried my best to keep practicing when I could.”

“If you want to fight, I suppose I can help you practice.” He suggested. “You know, like the old days.”

“I would appreciate that.” You said with a small smile.

“All right. I will try to make some time after Christmas.” He said honestly.

You nodded, thinking helping the Order was the least thing she could do after being stuck in the dark side because of your parents’ connections.

 

* * *

 

A year had passed since you and Jacob have escaped your parents. In order to walk down the streets again you needed to alter your appearance as much as possible. You had dyed your hair and made sure you would have a different haircut. You also managed to change your eye colour with a transfiguration spell. You kind of hoped it would be enough for the time being. So far, it helped you out. Nobody seemed to know who you were which was a good thing.

You still didn’t know anything about Jacob’s whereabouts. You wouldn’t be surprised if he had been planning something to help out during the war with some people. Still, you couldn’t help but to be worried about him. Back in your parents’ house he seemed to be doing way worse than you were and yet he was the one who came up with an escape plan. If there was some way to repay him, you really would do something back for him.

Of course, just because you weren’t stuck in your parental home anymore didn’t mean the dangers were over. Everyone in the Wizarding World seemed to be aware that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back. Nobody could deny the fact after people in the Ministry had seen the Dark Lord return. You would try to fight and avenge those who were killed by him and the Death Eaters.

 

You had managed to reconnect with all your old friends again. Everyone was definitely ready to fight back during the war. They all knew they were in danger, some were probably in even more danger than others, but they definitely wouldn’t sit still and do nothing. You haven’t been able to see everyone face-to-face yet, but you had seen some of them over the year. You met up with Charlie, Penny and Rowan during the year. You tried to write everyone once in a while, using a different name so people couldn’t figure out where you were.

The one you saw most of the time had to be Bill Weasley. You met up with Bill for duelling sessions, but lately, it became kind of an excuse for the both of you to see each other more often. However, you never intended to make a move. If there was something you were certain of then it was the fact you thought he could get someone way better than you. Sure, over the year you opened up a lot more again, but you definitely weren’t the same person you were before you graduated Hogwarts. You didn’t see yourself as someone who was worth someone else’s affection nor time.

 

Even though you actually liked Bill a lot, you would try to prevent something from happening. You could tell it was frustrating for both of you, but you really were convinced he could get someone much better. That didn’t mean your feelings were changing whenever you saw him. You kind of hoped they would change over time, but they didn’t. Every time you tried to convince yourself that there was no time for love during these times. You felt like you were being selfish to think about love when people were being tortured and killed... You tried to bury your feelings by doing a lot other stuff to keep yourself busy.

This year, you were invited to spend Christmas with the Weasleys. You suspected Bill had suggested you to be invited. Perhaps it had to do with the fact you would probably spend Christmas on your own if he didn’t ask you what you were planning to do during Christmas. You had just answered with a shrug and said you weren’t planning on doing anything. Once he said you could come over to celebrate Christmas at the Burrow, you kind of wondered if that really would be all right. You didn’t want to be a bother, especially because you felt like the Weasleys had done so much to help you out. It almost felt like you were intruding.

 

“Are you nervous?”

You looked up at Bill when he was waiting for you to come with him. You quickly shook your head. “No, I’m not.”

“Really? Because you seem to be quite tense for someone who isn’t nervous.” He pointed out, walking over to you.

“I was just thinking about some things, nothing too important.” You told him quickly, avoiding his gaze. “We should probably go now.”

He shook his head a little before he gently took your hand in his. “You have been thinking quite a lot lately, _Y/N_.”

“There is a lot to think about.” You looked up at him again, trying to act calm. You didn't want to go into details now.

He sighed softly before he gave you a serious look. “I’m worried about you.”

You frowned slightly. “There is no need for you to be worried.”

“Then tell me what is on your mind, _Y/N_.” He said seriously.

You pulled your hand away and looked away from him. “What do you think what is on my mind?” You snapped.

“A lot more than you can handle on your own.” He simply told you, still looking serious.

“Then what am I supposed to do? These are my own problems.”

 

“Are you also pulling yourself away from me because I’m a problem?” Bill asked suddenly.

“No!” You said quickly, shaking your head.

“Clearly, I’m one of your problems, _Y/N_. At least, I'm a part of it because you pull yourself away from me.”

“You aren’t the problem, my feelings for you are the problem here!” You blurted out.

…

Your face slowly became red, wondering why you blurted that out to him. He wasn’t supposed to know about that ever. You wanted to take those feeling with you into your grave if you needed to. You didn’t deserve him…! He deserved someone better…!

“Why are your feelings for me a problem?” Bill decided to ask, blushing lightly.

 “I-I’d rather don’t talk about it.” You mumbled.

“And I want to know why you think having feelings for me would be a problem.” He didn’t want to let it go.

You shook your head slightly. “It doesn’t matter, does it?”

“It _does_ matter, _Y/N_.”

“What do you want me to say?” You muttered.

“At least something!” Bill said, sounding frustrated. “Just tell something why these feelings for me are a problem.”

You frowned once again. “It should be obvious why these feelings are a problem for me.”

“Well, obviously, they are not. Don’t you get I have feelings for you as well?”

“I’m aware of that…”

“Then why are these feelings for me a problem for you?” He yelled.

“Because I don’t deserve someone like you!” You yelled back.

 

Bill looked shocked when you said that. “What…?”

You were getting really frustrated at this point. “I don’t deserve someone like you.” You repeated. “You deserve someone better than me, someone who has their shit pulled together.”

“You are not bloody serious, are you?” He asked you.

“I am serious, Bill!”

“You must be mad to think you don’t deserve me.” He said seriously.

“People often described me as mad in my life…” You muttered.

“ _Y/N_ , please…!”

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair. “Don’t you see I am a complete mess? You deserve someone who has their things pulled together.”

“What if I say I don’t care?” Bill asked. “I have feelings for you! I know you have a lot to deal with, but you don’t have to do everything alone…!”

“I will only bring you down...” You said softly, biting your lips slightly. “And I don’t want to be the one who brings you down because of my problems.”

“You won’t bring me down with your problems.” He said seriously when he placed a hand on your shoulder. “You have dealt with a lot when you were stuck at your parental home. You have suffered there, being forced to do things you didn’t want to do.”

You closed your eyes for a minute. Thinking about what happened there never was pleasant.

 

“I don’t want you to be alone.” Bill said seriously. “I want to be there for you.”

You could tell you were trembling. You were trying to hold your tears back at this point.

“I care a lot about you, so please, accept my feelings for you.” He whispered.

You ended up breaking down on front of him. Years of holding yourself and your feelings back became too much. You gave up on crying once you were stuck in your parental home for a while. It didn’t matter whether you would cry or not. Bottling your feelings up might have worked when you were feeling numb, but since you began feeling more when you escaped the manor bottling up feelings was definitely not a good thing.

The only thing Bill could do was holding you and trying to comfort you. It took you quite a while to calm down again. He wasn’t surprised it took you that long to calm down again. He knew you had been holding back your feelings for quite a while. Of course, he didn’t mean to hurt you, but he knew it was better if you didn’t hold everything back. It wasn’t healthy to keep all these feelings bottled up like that.

 

Bill kept holding you when you were taking deep breaths to keep yourself down. “How are you feeling now?” He asked softly.

“… Actually, I feel somewhat better.” You mumbled softly, slowly looking up at him again. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, you needed it.” He said honestly, stroking your hair a bit.

“I probably look like mess right now.” You mumbled softly with a small grin.

“Besides the red and puffy eyes, you look fine to me.” He said softly with a small grin of his own.

You took another deep breath and rubbed your eyes slightly.

“We can wait a little longer before we leave, if you prefer.” He suggested.

“Yeah, let’s wait a little longer before we leave.” You agreed, thinking people would ask questions if they noticed you have been crying. “At least this didn’t happen over there.”

“It’s definitely better this happened before we left. I can already imagine how everyone would look at us if we were at the Burrow…” Bill rubbed the back of his neck.

“I think things would have ended up worse if it happened at the Burrow.” You said honestly.

“Probably.” He agreed.

 

“So, what now?” You asked softly, wondering what you two should do next.

“You mean about us?” Bill asked, looking into your eyes.

“Well, yes…” You mumbled. “I mean, we both admitted we have feelings for each other…”

“How about we will just see how things turn out?” He suggested. “Just don’t try to push yourself away from me.”

“Sounds like something I can try.” You said with a smile. “You might have to remind me if I do something like that though.”

“Good.” He said with a smile. “And don’t worry, I will remind you.”

You slowly took on of his hands, squeezing it lightly. “Perhaps it is a good time to go now.”

“If you are ready.” He said, squeezing your hand lightly.

You nodded to let him know you were ready and then you both apparated to the Burrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, this one-shot was called 'Escape during the Holidays', but I feel like 'The Escape' sounds better.


End file.
